Absolute Surrender: To get a better understanding of the eternal danger of confusing heart-felt remorse from true repentance, let me encourage you to listen to the following podcast. And next time you are about to partake of the Lord's Supper, examine yourself first to see if you have repented of your sins, or are you just sorry for them. Your answer could indicate which road you are on and where you will spend eternity. Confused? Then let me invite you to listen.

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The Revelation: Let's see, first you have the Premillennial View of the 1,000 year reign of Christ as described in Revelation 20. Then there is the Postmillennial View and the Amillennial View of the same event. Uh, say what? Oh yes, and only one of these views believes the 1,000 years spoken of are actually a 1,000 years. The other two views either don't believe that 1,000 means 1,000 or that years don't mean years. Maybe years means, "ducks" or "cars" or "ham sandwiches" or something crazy like that. Confused? Then let me invite you to listen.

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The Revelation: If Satan is really as powerful as we like to think he is, then why does it take only one unnamed angel to bind him and throw him into the abyss for close to a thousand years Think about it. It wasn't Michael or Gabriel or a legion of angels. No, it took just one. Just one unnamed angel. Why? Because God is supreme and powerful and beyond description and Satan is a defeated foe... already. Nuthin' but chump change in the great scheme of things. So, why do we fear Satan? We don't. Not any more.

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The Revelation: Marriage was the single most important social event in the Biblical world - one that was eagerly anticipated by everyone in the community. It was generally divided into three phases: One, the betrothal or engagement. Two, the presentation of the bride. And three, the actual ceremony where the vows were exchanged. "So, why the history lesson?" you ask. Because this is exactly like the marriage spoken of in the Revelation... and you and I are not just invited, we're the bride!

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Preparing for the End: During the days of Joel, when God was raining down judgment on Israel because of their great sin, the people either ran towards Him or away from Him. Those that recognized His hand in all their trouble did not blame or curse His name. Do you know what they did? They said: "Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD."

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Preparing for the End: Often our chaotic world is overwhelmed with the sounds of everyday living: the radio blaring, the constant noise of the TV playing in the background, the hum of people talking, the thump, thump, thump of a teenager's car stereo, a sea of cell phones, ipods, video games, Muzak and the like. And often this doesn't allow us the opportunity to sit quietly and listen to the still, small voice of the Lord. Did you ever wonder why? We have heard sermon after sermon about what we should not fill our minds with but seldom about what we should. Today, that will all change...

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The Revelation: Remember the story of the prodigal son? Picture the younger son coming to the father, contrite, repentant, and begging for forgiveness. Now, do you remember the older son? The one who was dutifully working in the field, the one who became angry at the father's display of lavish grace, and the one who refused to come in and share in the father's joy? Do you also remember how this story ends? How the conflict was resolved? I think you'll be shocked to find out how this parable actually ends.

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The Revelation: You know, some of the most complex and influential stories actually begin in the simplest ways. Take this one for example: And He said, "A man had two sons." That's it. "A man had two sons." And from this small beginning, Jesus weaves a master parable that will challenge and change the way you view salvation, forgiveness and eternal life. And He will change them totally! Are you interested in hearing more?

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The Revelation: Did you know that in the Revelation there is a command to rejoice in the destruction and damnation of the wicked, the lost? How intolerant of God, our culture would say. Nevertheless, truth is truth: "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her." Kind of flies in the face of the Laodicean, "Your Best Life Now!" crowd, doesn't it?

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The Revelation: What happens when the Word of God confronts the very core values of our society... and our own sincerely held beliefs? You know, when it confronts our views on sacred cow subjects like: The history and founding of our Nation. Capitalism and the accumulation of wealth. The relationship between husband and wife. The responsibility of parents to their children. The concept of "success" in our culture. What do we do? Usually, we pitch the Word of God overboard. Listen and find out why.

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Preparing for the End: With what looks like the coming collapse of our economy, or Israel's preemptive bombing of Iran, or Iran's bombing of Tel Aviv... or any one of a hundred different things that could send our nation and the world into cataclysmic upheaval and chaos... it is good to know that in times like this the church may rise to her finest hour since the days of the Acts. Does this seem like a strange statement coming from one who wrote, Love Jesus, Hate Church? Listen and find out.

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The Revelation: Contrary to what has been the popular position for the last 40 years or so, the anti-Christ may not come from the revived Western segment of the Roman Empire. No, he may actually come from the Eastern segment. And he may be a Muslim. Does that sound politically incorrect? Well, it is. It flies in the face of much of what our compromised media, the Laodicean church and our president is telling us. And if that is true, then we as a nation are doing our best to make peace with the Beast. God help us all.

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Absolute Surrender: Do you remember when Jesus rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit? At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight." Do you remember what prompted this in Him? Listen and find out...

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The Revelation: The Revelation tells us about a strange relationship between a harlot and a frightening scarlet beast. In fact, for a season, the harlot actually rides the beast... until, that is, the beast tires of her and: "Hates the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire." Wow! Talk about a first-class dysfunctional relationship. But there's more. Listen and find out...

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The Revelation: And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

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Preparing for the End: Our society views truth as an accurate telling of simple facts. No commentary. Just facts. Remember these words: "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?" But does truth, for the Believer, mean more than reciting simple facts? And, if so, how can we glean spiritual truth from the Scriptures when they are camouflaged as simple facts? Listen and find out.

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The Revelation: God never has to explain or defend His actions to us. Never. For He is God and we are... uh, stuff. But in Revelation 16, God does explain the horrific judgments He brings upon the earth. And His reasons are scary and sobering. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it."

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The Revelation: In the book of Job we read... "Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you." And later, "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?" Ok, so God is talking to Job about some really strange and scary creations. But what does any of this have to do with the last two bowls of the wrath of God? What do Job and the Revelation have in common? Listen and find out.

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Preparing for the End: John gives us a word about those who abandon the faith, those who simply walk away. His word: You can only lose what you have. They (what) went out from us, but they (what) were not really of us; (why) for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. 1 John 2:18 What does this all mean? Listen and find out.

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Absolute Surrender: Church offers the things women crave: safety, relationships, nurturing, and close-knit community. The rules are: be nice. Be sensitive. Be gentle. We promise a personal relationship with a man who loves you unconditionally. On the other hand, men need adventure, challenge and risk - but these things are discouraged in church. Any man who tries to bring risk into his local congregation will quickly find himself in the gun sights of a longtime member. Sound familiar? I thought it might.

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Absolute Surrender: Have you ever wondered why we strive so hard for the adulation, attention and acceptance of the world? Did you ever ask yourself why we want so desperately to have the world love us, think highly of us, invite us to their parties, or call us their best friend? Why would we want the world to do that? What would be our motivation? What do we want to achieve? Why would we want the world to say things about us that they would never say about our Lord? Never. Gulp.

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Absolute Surrender: If you received the dreaded results from your medical test and found out you only had a couple of weeks to live, what message about Christ would you want to leave to your kids? What truths about your relationship with the Lord would you want to instill in your children while you still can? What are the bedrock beliefs you have that cannot be shaken, that have stood the test of time? Do you have any? And, if you do, what are they?

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The Revelation: As bad as this stuff sounds to those who survive this far in the book of the Revelation... "And men were scorched with fierce (or great) heat...and they gnawed their tongues because of pain." Hell will be infinitely, unbelievably worse for those we know and love. God is full of mercy and forgiveness and does not desire any to perish but all to come to faith in Him. But that time doesn't last forever. And what are you prepared to do about it?

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Preparing for the End: This is a sample of Biblical preaching that we never hear much of today: "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance." And we don't see this kind of response to that kind of preaching much today either: And the multitudes were questioning him, saying, "Then what shall we do?"

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Absolute Surrender: One thought... I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants. Deuteronomy 30:19 Oh yes, choose life! Choose wisely! Just choose.

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Absolute Surrender: Jeremiah presents a better summary of this podcast than I ever could. So, I'll defer to him. Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I (what) delight in these things," declares the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23-24

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Preparing for the End: Murphy's Law states: 1. Nothing is as easy as it looks. 2. Everything takes longer than you think. 3. If anything can go wrong, it will! First, there were five special guys in the church at Antioch: Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manean and Saul. Then, these guys spent some time fasting and praying and laying hands on some. And what does all this have to do with Murphy's Law. Good question. Listen and find out...

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The Revelation: Right in the middle of these three angels who (1) preach the gospel to all the world, and (2) pronounce judgment to Babylon the great, and (3) those who worship the beast and receive his mark, we have these words: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!" Gulp. What does that mean? And what does it have to do with the perseverance of the saints? Stay tuned and find out.

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The Revelation: Did it ever dawn on you that, like Elijah of old, God may have some of His holy ones praying for judgment to fall on America in order to bring her back to repentance? That maybe, after a three year drought, we as a nation may experience our own Mount Carmel encounter with God? Remember the words of Elijah to the nation of Israel, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." In other words, now is the time to choose... for them and for us.

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Preparing for the End: Parenting and, better yet, grandparenting is an incredibly wonderful thing. But what happens when you love your kids more than you love the Lord? Are you doing them a favor? Are you being unloving to your children and family when you place your affections towards them before your devotion to the Lord? I mean, is that a good thing to do? Have you ever thought about the dire consequences of that kind of misplaced love? Scripture has some frightful examples of just this kind of misplaced love. Want to learn more?

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The Revelation: You do know, don't you, that the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 accurately picture all of church history in startling detail? Well, if not... you should! After all, we spent tons of time and type on it. But did you also know that the same seven letters also paint a sad, harrowing portrait of a church's, or an individual Christian's, slide from spiritual fervency to... well, lukewarmness. From being the beloved to being what the Lord vomits out of His mouth. Ouch. Want to learn more? Just listen...

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The Revelation: How do you describe these 144,000 unbelievable overcomers? Do you call them dynamic? No, they are much more than that. How about kinetic? Or, charismati? Maybe they are just natural born leaders, you know, those destined for success and victory? I don't know. All these terms reek of worldly praise and not heavenly praise. Seems somewhat shallow. Scripture calls them, among other things, blameless. Blameless! Did you ever wonder what that means? Stay tuned and find out.

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The Revelation: In these times of economic upheaval, do you find yourself anxious about what tomorrow will bring? Do you wonder if you'll have a job this time next month? Do you lose sleep at night worrying about the sub-prime mortgage collapse, the ill-advised bank bailouts, or the simple fact that the Social Security Trust Fund is as empty as a poor widow's pantry? You do know that you can't control any of those events, don't you? Not one. Want to know what you can control? Good. Stay tuned and find out...

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Preparing for the End: Definition: Deconstruction - The desire to tear down orthodoxy, institutions, traditions, understandings, etc., in order to reconstruct, or reinterpret them in a postmodern world. Ok, and what does any of this have to do with Lot? Or with his living near, or next to, or in the city of Sodom? Why is this even an issue? And what about the whole problem of hypocrites in the church? What does deconstruction and postmodernism say about hypocrisy? Great questions. Stay tuned and find out...

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The Revelation: The Hebrew, Greek and Latin language each have a gematria associated with each letter of their alphabet. What is a gematria? you ask. A gematria is basically a system that is designed to assign numerical values to each letter of their particular alphabet. For the prophecy buff, this would naturally lend itself to the task of trying to determine the identity of the antichrist by finding a man's name whose numerical values add up to the infamous 666 of Revelation 13. Sound far-fetched? It's really not. Spend a few minutes with us and you will see that Tom Winn is not the antichrist.

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Preparing for the End: Some people see Jesus as the tiny Christ-Child peacefully sleeping in the manger. Others see Him as the story telling Jesus pictured on the Sunday School flannel graph - feeding the hungry, blessing the children, walking on the water. Still others see Him as a friend that is closer than a brother. Ahem. All of this is true about Jesus. But He is much bigger than the box we try to put Him in. He is much bigger than anything we can imagine. Much, much bigger.

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Preparing for the End: On Friday, December 5th, Edna Falls Cannon, 91, formerly of 3809 Linwood Road, passed away at the Robin Johnson Hospice House of Dallas. She was a native of Gaston County and the daughter of the late Bruce and Sarah Elizabeth Foy Falls. "So what?" you say. "I didn't even know her. What can I learn from the death of Edna Cannon?" Ah, much. Listen and find out...

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Preparing for the End: Lazarus was dead and in the tomb for four days before Jesus made His way back to Bethany to raise him from the dead. Four days! That's like a really long time! Did you ever wonder what Lazarus did during those four days? Or maybe what it must have been like to wake up in the tomb, strapped to a gurney, wrapped in rotting grave clothes? Sounds like the making of a B rated horror film, doesn't it? Take a listen with us and let's see Lazarus' view from inside the tomb.

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The Revelation: Have you ever read these words from Moses? If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you (what) a sign or a wonder, and (what) the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, Let us go after other gods whom you have not known and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; (why) for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

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Preparing for the End: When it comes to a fight, especially a church fight, we often try to act like this American icon, don't we? We strap on our Rambo headband and prepare for war. "Well, we have to!" you insist. ""f we don't take it to the other side, we'll lose. And we can't have that. Heck, no. This is our church. We were here before those other people came and we'll be here when they leave... which, I hope, is pretty dang soon." Want to know they handled these kind of things in the early church? Then listen on...

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The Revelation: The following podcast presents what I like to call my personal doctrinal statement. It is a statement of what I believe about the essentials and how that belief impacts my life. I guess you could call it my Creed. It is something that I believe with all my being, something I am passionate about, and something I will not compromise on. What is your Creed?

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The Revelation: You have the dragon, the devil or Satan being revealed in Revelation 12. Then we are introduced to the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth in chapter 13. And then these chilling words: If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Ever wonder what they mean?

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The Revelation: First we have Daniel and his night visions. Remember them? The vision of the little horn, the terrifying fourth beast, and the Ancient of Days. Then, we fast-forward to the Revelation and we see the same imagery of the night visions, but now they are from the pen of John in the Revelation. Could there be a connection? You bet. Sit down and let's talk about it, shall we.

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The Revelation: Come on, sure you have. Everyone has secretly wondered why the world hates the Jews. What did they do to deserve the wrath of the world? What was their crime? From Haman to Herod. From the Crusades to the Third Reich. From Ahmadinejad to the coming Anti-Christ. Hey, the world's history can be divided up by its systematic efforts to destroy the Jews. Want to know why? Take a quick listen...

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The Revelation: What happens when the Scriptures talk about a future event in the past tense?\? You know, like it has already taken place? We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast, because Thou hast taken (past tense) Thy great power and hast begun (again, past tense) to reign. Revelation 11:17 God once again reveals His amazing sovereignty, tha's what!

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Preparing for the End: Let's cut to the chase... This is Part 2 of our look at Jonathan Edwards' message, Religious Affections. It helps us come to grips with what John the Apostle said in 1 John... These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13 And the operative word is, know!

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Preparing for the End: Do you remember Jonathan Edwards? Yeah, the guy who sang, "Sunshine." Uh, no. Same name, wrong guy. What Jonathan Edwards are you talking about? I'm talking about Jonathan Edwards of the Great Awakening fame. The Jonathan Edwards who, on July 8th, 1741, preached "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." You know, the Jonathan Edwards who wrote Religious Affections back in 1746. Do you remember that Jonathan Edwards? If you don't, you should.

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The Revelation: They seemed to come from nowhere, proclaiming the dire warnings of God. And then, overnight, they were everywhere! Who are these guys? "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy (lit: to speak forth, to proclaim, to preach) for (how long) twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." Let's learn about these two guys.

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The Revelation: You could hear their voices, those who cried out from under the altar, those who have been slain because of the word of God and for the testimony of the Lord they had maintained. Their cry and their question was simple. "How long, O Lord? How long will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" The answer? Both sobering and frightening.

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Preparing for the End: You could hear their voices, those who cried out from under the altar, those who have been slain because of the word of God and for the testimony of the Lord they had maintained. Their cry and their question was simple. "How long, O Lord? How long will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" The answer? Sobering. Frightening. As the church strove for unity, the enemy tried to bury her in the ground. Just like he continues to do today. That ugly, ignorant jerk! But the church has a secret weapon... and, unlike us today, they weren't afraid to use it. They weren't afraid to go nuclear, as we say. Ever wonder what that secret weapon was? Ever wonder how we can recapture some of the power and awe of the early church? Ever wonder "what the heck is going on" on Sunday? Stay tuned and listen...

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The Revelation: Some of the most chilling words in all of the Revelation... at least up to this point. "And the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see or hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts." Pretty dang stupid, if you ask me.

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Preparing for the End: We like to live in a Two Stage Christian arena. Stage One, you become a Christian. Stage Two, you become a Disciple. Actually, that's just a bunch of bunk. The book of Acts states about those in Antioch, "and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." Note the order. Note the sermon. Why don't you have a listen.

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Preparing for the End: A couple of days in Nashville for the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and I feel like a new man. And it had nothing to do with the music, the artists, the seminars, or even the six meals per day we ate or the 50 bands or so we saw. No, it had everything to do with the Lord speaking to me about a ministry I had misplaced. Actually, I had lost it. He helped me find my lost ministry of reconciliation. And it has rocked my world!

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The Revelation: Can you imagine being in so much pain and torment that you longed for death, prayed for death, begged to die? Can you imagine trying to kill yourself, repeatedly, to no avail? I can't imagine much worse than that, can you? Well, be warned, that day is coming. And it's coming to all that don't have the seal of God on their forehead. Sound strange? Confusing? Why don't you join with us and listen...

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The Revelation: On April 26, 1986 at 1:23 in the morning, the reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant located in the Soviet Union near Pripyat in Ukraine exploded. Further explosions and the resulting fire sent a plume of highly radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and over an extensive geographical area. Nearly thirty to forty times more fallout was released than Hiroshima. Do you remember? You should. You need to.

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Preparing for the End: This is a small statement often neglected from contemporary Gospel presentations. Just three small requirements that will literally change everything! "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must (1) deny himself, and (2) take up his cross daily and (3) follow Me." Luke 9:23 Do you wish to come after Him? Really?

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The Revelation: Most people scoff at those who bought into and prepared for Y2K. Remember? "Aw, it was a real non-event. Much-to-do about 'nuthin." "Just a money-making scheme by those radical survivalists types." "Yep, sure shot Biblical prophecy in the foot, didn't it?" Well, not really. Care to take a listen?

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The Revelation: James says, the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. But, what kind of prayer is he talking about? Just think, the prayer of Revelation 6 becomes the judgment of Revelation 8. Oh, forgot what that prayer was, did you? How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Revelation 6:10 In other words, party time! Doesn't sound much like our Wednesday night prayer meeting kind of prayers, does it?

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Preparing for the End Can I get a witness? shouts the house. Sure. How 'bout this... Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Matthew 27:45, 50-53 Don't get no better than that!

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Preparing for the End Jesus had some really scary words to say when He talked about forgiveness. Oh, not the Lord's forgiveness of our sins, but the sharing of the same grace we received to others. And I mean really scary. Consider this... For (condition) if you forgive others for their transgressions, (result) your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But (condition) if you do not forgive others, then (result) your Father will not forgive your transgressions. Matthew 6:14-15 Need we say more?

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Preparing for the End Often our spiritual life can be compared to a John Wayne movie. Oh, really? Yeah, really. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Sounds like the battle of Iwo Jima to me.

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The Acts! The Acts record the church life of the early church as being radically different than church life today. Consider, for example... And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. You know, that's pretty radical living! Can I trust you enough to live that way? Or, if I do, am I going to end up abused, forgotten, abandoned and alone? Good question. You got a good answer?

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The Acts! You know, all this preaching on the selfish "felt needs" of fallen man gets a little old, especially when you compare it to the preaching of Peter in the book of Acts. Sounds, as Alan Parsons would say, "like psychobabble rap to me." I don't know why I'm scared of the lightning Trying to reach me Help me to find what I don't wanna know You're taking me there but I don't wanna go I don't care it's all psychobabble rap to me Psychobabble all psychobabble Psychobabble all psychobabble I don't care it's all psychobabble rap to me

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The Acts! Just a couple of quick quotes from the movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Butch Cassidy: Ah, you're wasting your time. They can't track us over rocks. Sundance Kid: Tell them that. Butch Cassidy: (after looking for himself) Who are those guys? Butch Cassidy: (about the trackers following them) I couldn't do that. Could you do that? Why can they do it? Who are those guys? Sundance Kid: Hey, Butch? Butch Cassidy: What? Sundance Kid: They're very good.

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The Revelation! I know it's very unpopular to talk about the two, dual natures of God. You know, His mercy side and His wrath side. That's right, wrath. The wrath of God. And the wrath of the Lamb. Remember, from the Revelation... "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" Won't hear about His wrath on TBN, will you?

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The Revelation! When faced with the choice of exalting God's sovereignty or demanding my free will, I choose to choose God. Always. Without fail. Why? Think about Psalm 115:3. Our God is in His heavens, and He does what He pleases. Pretty powerful stuff, isn't it?

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The Revelation! Classic Barry McGuire. Remember? Like way back when in 1965? And you tell me over and over and over again my friend, that you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction. But we are. Big time! Let's talk about it, shall we?

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The Revelation! Remember "One" - the Three Dog Night song of the late 60's? I think the lyrics went something like this... One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do Two can be as bad as one It's the loneliest number since the number one Ahem. Not too deep or profound, but sure fitting for the church age in which we live.

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The Revelation! It's like playing chess with Bobby Fischer. Bishop, Knight, Rook, Pawn... all power pieces in the Grandmaster's end game. Gog, Magog, Meshech and Tubal... huh? Like what kind of chess pieces are these? And who exactly is this Grandmaster? Stay tuned and find out...

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The Revelation! "You ain't never seen nuthin' like the presto-chango, big Lion to the little Lamb, bing, bang, boom thing, that ol' John saw. No sir. It take yo' bref away." Excuse me? "Oh, yea. It say that John saw a Lamb as if slain when he spose to be seein' a Lion or a Root or somtin' like dat. It be outta 'dis world! It be like a Houdini or somethin'. Really powerful."

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The Revelation! How many ways can the Bible teach us about the same thing? For example... Daniel calls it "time, times and half time" and the "middle of the 70th week." John in the Revelation refers to it as "42 months" and later as "1,260 days." Jesus calls it the Great Tribulation... and it's right on our doorstep. What is? The 3 1/2 year period known as the Great Tribulation, that's what. "Ain't you been reading the papers or watching the news? What, you been raised in a barn?"

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The Revelation! Let's see, "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!" or... "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come." Wow. Some difference. The Fab Four, the Mop Tops, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band... or the Four Living Creatures before the throne. Geez. This deserves a bit more investigation.

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The Revelation! I think Steve Camp says it best... The world was a very good friend of mine It promised everything I wanted in life It came to me with its passion and gold I bought it for a while it nearly cost me my soul. Don't you know the world will tease you, it will seize you, it will squeeze you until you are in to its mold Love the world and the love of the Father is not in us. Pretty strong, but true, words.

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The Revelation! Reminds me of the classic, Bill Clinton, "I'm only lying when my lips are moving" mantra of denying marital infidelity. "I have never had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky. I've never had an affair with her." Really? Should we believe what you say or should we believe what you do? Great questions for a President facing impeachment. Better question for us, the church.

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The Revelation! Do you remember Star Trek, the transporter room, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock? Do you also remember these words: "I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." Is there a connection? You bet! Let's take a look at it together.

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The Revelation! Ah, classic, American Idol, Paula Abdul pop logic. But, it's true when applied to the literal interpretation of the Scriptures. Or, let's put it another way: When the literal sense makes good sense, Seek no other sense, Lest it lead to nonsense. Why don't we take a look at the importance of the literal interpretation of the Bible together. Shall we?

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The Revelation! Remember Ivan Drago, the Russian boxing machine in Rocky III? Sure you do. Do you remember his chilling words to Apollo Creed and the Italian Stallion? To Apollo, right before their first fight, "I must break you." Then, to Rocky, at the beginning of their last and final round, "You're dead." Chilling words. Kinda like what the Lord said to the church at Sardis. Really. No lie. Why don't we take a look at them together.

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The Revelation! "Downside? What downside?" you ask. "How can there be a downside to love?" Simple. Sometimes love, if wrongly focused, can turn into misplaced loyalty... uh, which almost always leads to a profound tolerance of sin. And just think, we do all this under the guise of "love". Does that seem harsh to you? Maybe heartless? A bit intolerant? Well, it is. And it comes from the very lips of the Lord. Tune in to find out more...

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The Revelation! Oh yeah, this one gets a bit nasty... makes us somewhat uncomfortable. Just like we feel when we uncover the slimy body of a North Carolina slug lurking under a rock or a kid's toy left out overnight in the backyard. Yuck! You know, there are some strange things that live in the shadows. In life, as well as in church. Tune in to find out more...

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The Revelation! First, Jesus' description of the church in Laodicea: "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing..." Then, His words to the church in Smyrna: "I know your tribulation and your poverty..." Where would you like to attend? What church do you think would have the best Youth Group, a kickin' Praise Band and a state-of-the-art new Family Life Center? Which church appeals to you? Exactly!

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The Revelation! This from the Didache (AD 50-70) and deals with the subject of false prophets and apostles. It is like a policy manual for the early church: Welcome every apostle on arriving, as if he were the Lord. But he must not stay beyond one day. In case of necessity, however, the next day also. If he stays three days, he is a false prophet. On departing, an apostle must not accept anything save sufficient food to carry him till his next lodging. If he asks for money, he is a false prophet. Kinda puts TBN in a bad light, doesn't it?

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The Revelation! Listen to the words of John when he turned to see Jesus for the first time in 60 years... "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man." And all this from the lips of one who was known as the disciple Jesus loved. The very one who placed his head on Jesus' breast at the Last Supper and asked, "Who is it Lord? Who will betray You?" Kinda makes us seem somewhat flippant, doesn't it? Stay tuned and find out.

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The Revelation! No, we're not talking about Armani or Gucci or even something from the Versace Collection. These clothes speak of something far greater than mere fashion. Oh, much, much greater. "I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash." It gets better. Check it out!

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The Revelation! Yeah, you heard right. Ears. Do you have ears? You know, the fleshy, shell-shaped knobs glued to each side of your head. Do you have ears? If so, great! But do you have ears to hear what the Lord says? Sure hope so... Why don't we find out together, shall we?

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The Revelation! That's right. He's not just coming. He's on the way! Know this first of all, that (when) in the last days (what) mockers will come with their mocking, (why) following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." - 1 Peter 3:3-4 May I simply say...uh, like not!

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The Revelation! Breathe deep and remember... You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me. - John 5:39 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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The Revelation! You've got to be kidding! We were never to read the Revelation. Never! Why, you ask. Because it was mystical, cryptic, puzzling and kind of scary. In fact, as kids we were all warned by our Sunday school teachers, an old, solemn man with a Vincent Price look about him, to never read the Revelation alone, or at night, or on the third Tuesday of May every other leap year. If we did, we could go blind or crazy or even worse... we could end up wearing our whitie-tighties on the outside of our pants. Arrgh! That thought still keeps me up late at night.

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Every Saturday afternoon when I was a kid: John Wayne, in Technicolor, bigger than life! He always stood for what was right, just, strong, and I guess, oh, just plain manly. On Sunday mornings, however, I never seemed to find a John Wayne type of figure in my church. You know, God's man that stood for what was right, just, and strong. Ever wonder why? You know, there are still some men of God out there that say what needs to be said and who live to please their Lord. They, I guess, are those I look up to... my spiritual heroes. Wanna meet one...

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On Sunday, January 7, 2007, my son Justus discovered that his beloved pet, Patch, was dead. She was old, real old. In fact, we're not exactly sure how old she was. Saturday night... everything's the same. Sunday morning... life changes forever. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that there's no way you can derive some spiritual truths from the death of a dog. Especially when that dog is your son's beloved pet. Well, you're wrong. Dead wrong.

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It is amazing how close we think we can get to the edge of sin and still wonder why we struggle with our flesh. Like, duh! Like, how stupid is that! And, sadly, the church reflects that struggle, compounded by the millions. Do we really think we can "claim to have fellowship with the light and yet walk in darkness" and believe that Jesus is OK with that? Ugh. Stay tuned and find out...

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"'Come out with your hands up,' the man says. How do ya like that, Ma? Here's my answer, ya dirty..." He fires his tommy-gun at the police. "That was Cody Jarrett talking! They think they've got Cody Jarrett. They haven't got Cody Jarrett. You hear? They haven't got him. And I wanna show ya. They haven't got him. Made it, Ma! Top of the world!" No, actually wrong. Big-time wrong. Let's talk about it, shall we?

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With the new year dawning... actually, with it just in its infancy, don't you think it's about time we took seriously our walk with Christ? We sure do. And in order to embrace what is real and of Christ, you know, to cling to what is found in the pages of Scripture, we first need to take a minute or two and look at what is NOT real and what is NOT of Christ and, obviously, what is NOT found anywhere in the pages of Scripture. Hence, The Portal Potty Preacher! Got your interest? Good. Let's talk about it, shall we?

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Question: "Hey, I've got a quick question for you. With all the confusion about spiritual gifts, how can we tell the difference? You know, the "slap on the forehead" and the "slain in the spirit stuff"... is that like for real? Cause it looks pretty strange to me." Answer: Well, if you really want to know how to tell the difference between true spiritual gifts and... uh, ka-ka, you'll have to spend some time with us as we examine 1 Corinthians. You got the time? We sure do. It's gonna be quite a ride! Let's talk about it, shall we?

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Question: What is a defining moment? And what does it have to do with stretchy pants? Answer: Are you serious? Have you never experienced a defining moment in your life that defines who you were and who you will become? Have you never faced the proverbial "fork in the road" that leads to two entirely different futures? Have you never had to make a defining moment choice in your spiritual journey? You know, the "as for me and my house..." kind of choices. Oh, and a defining moment has absolutely nothing to do with stretchy pants...just in case you were still wondering. Ahem. Let's talk about it, shall we?

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"Idolatry? No Joe, say it ain't so!" As Christians living in the age of apathy, opulence, lukewarmness and compromise, we are just as guilty of the sin of idolatry as the church of Corinth was two millennia ago. And you would think that we would know better. Ugh! Come on, you know it's true. Consider the church's compulsion, no... it's lustful addiction for prosperity (always defined as stuff), popularity, ease, wealth, and physical health. And what are we willing to do to secure these "prosperity rights" as we call them? Just about anything. We will create and bow down to any idol (teacher, theology, experience, etc.) that holds out to us the vain hope of self-determination. Oh, but there's more. Let's talk about it...

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Well, are you ready? Ready for what? you ask. You know, Christmas. The crowded shopping Malls. The extra five pounds we put on from boatloads of cookies and cakes and peanuts covered with a caramel glaze that we shove in our faces. Oh, and how about all the Living Nativities and the Singing Christmas Trees and the countless Christmas Musicals and Cantatas that we sit through. Well, are you ready? Really ready? Is that how we try to put Christ back in Christmas? Well, stay tuned and let's find out.

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Truth. You want truth? Boy, do we have truth! Well, stay tuned and let's talk about Love Jesus, Hate Church and the truth about persistent prayer.

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Come on, don't get offended by the "My Butt" part of the title. Geez. And don't get all huffy at the picture, either. But if you've really got your heart set on getting mad, you know, if you're just dying to get your panties all twisted up in a wad... well, then get offended... no, get flat-out stinking, red-faced mad at what the church has done to the love feast. Oh, you've never heard of the love feast? Really? That's kinda sad. Well, stay tuned and let's talk about Love Jesus, Hate Church and the love feast.

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Stupid Is as Stupid Does? You got that right! It is amazing how close we think we can get to the edge of sin and still wonder why we struggle with our flesh. Like, duh! Like, how stupid is that! And, sadly, the church reflects that struggle, compounded by the millions. Come on, do we really think we can stand close to the fire of sin and not have our clothes smell like smoke? Do we really believe the world doesn't see? Do we really think we can claim to have fellowship with the light and yet walk in darkness, and believe that Jesus is OK with that? Ugh. Classic denial. Plain and simple. Stay tuned and find out...

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Oh yeah, Church in the Two Kingdoms! Or, should I say, "How we do church in the Two Kingdoms." Do we follow the rules of this kingdom? You know, the "all we want you to do is feel good about yourself," and "Jesus suffered and died to give you more stuff... just like your own Santa Claus in the sky!" Ugh. Classic, late night, TBN sort of junk. Or, do we do church by the rules of His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God? "And what are those rules?" you ask. Stay tuned and find out...

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As a point of reference, a study on our life in the "two kingdoms" seemed appropriate at this time in our Love Jesus, Hate Church journey. "What are the two kingdoms?" you ask. Good question. In a nutshell (Cliff Notes style), the two kingdoms are the two realms of existence all Believers own real estate in. You know, the kingdom of this world with all its rules and definitions of success and the Kingdom of God Jesus continually spoke about. Let's see how we are to live in these two divergent kingdoms, shall we?

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Ah yes, the best place to begin anything is always at the beginning. And that also holds true of Love Jesus, Hate Church. I mean, how did all this come about? Where did it start? Where did it all begin? And, what about the purpose? You know, the overriding, spiritual, "this is why I get up in the morning" type of purpose? What are you trying to accomplish? What, if anything, are you trying to prove with Love Jesus, Hate Church? Excellent questions. Now, let me see if I can begin by answering your questions with our first podcast.

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